Toothbrush



Jan. 16, 1923.

15 (l `n l gyn/vento@ Patented dan. l, i923.

tcllttil') STATES ALEXANDER SAXE, OF NEVI YORK, N. Y.

TOOTHBRUSH.

To all Iwhom t may Coface/m it known that I, .e-.Lrxeivninz Senn,citizen of the United States, and resident o 100 Fifth Ave., New Yorkcity, ll. Y..

' borough of l-ailanhattan. county of New York,

State of New York. have invented certain new and useful Improvements inToothbrushes, of which the following is a specification.

The device the subject of this invention, is a tooth brush of thecharacter wherein the head or bristle carrying member and handle arerelatively rotatable.

In the past the so called rotatable head tooth brushes have had the veryserious objection that they were mechanical and included a plurality ofmetallic parts such as springs, rivets, and catches which combine tomake them expensive in construction, somewhat difiicult in operation,and unsanitary in the extreme. I have therefore in developing thisdevice attempted to overcome all of these objections and have succeededin so far that my device is devoid of metallic parts, operates simplyand easily, and is so proportioned that all parts may be readilycleansed.

rlfhe means whereby the objects of my invention are accomplished and thedetails of construction will be set forth in the specication whichfollows and the accompanying drawing should be referred to for acomplete understanding of the invention.

In the drawing;

Fig. 1 shows my brush in side elevation.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the important parts.

Fig. 3 shows in section a slightly different construction.

Fig. 4 is a plan view.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a head of modified construction.

Fig. 6 is a reversed plan view of a handle adapted to operate with thehead shown in Figure 5.

Fig, 7 is a sectional view of the head shown in Figure 5, the bristles,and bristle recesses are, however, omitted, as the bristles play nospecial part in my invention.

Similar reference numerals indicate like parts in all the figures wherethey appear.

At 10, I show a handle which may be bent as shown in Figure 1, orstraight as shown in Figure 3. The shape of the handle is immaterial.

The free end of the handle 11 may also be given any desired ordecorative shape. At the other,l the inner end of the handle, I providea countcrsnnk perforation into which I introduce a pin 19.. rlfhis pin,passing through the handle, enters and is secured in the head 13 of thebrush, and suitable bristles 14 are secured in the head in any desirablemanner.

I prefer that the handle 10, pin 12, and head 13 should all be formed ofsimilar material such as Celluloid, bone or other suitable substance andthe )in 12 should be secured into the head 13 by being cementedthere-in, and if the parts are made of celluloid, the cement commonlyused in Celluloid work will so secure the pin that it virtually becomesa part of the head 13.

I call particular attention to the fact that one group of bristles asshown at 15 may be secured in the pin 12 thus overcoming theobjectionable space so common in brushes of this type.

Surroundingl the pin 1Q and in the handle 10. I produce an annulargroove or recess into which I secure a ring of cork, rubber. linoleum,or other suitable material as shown at 16. Obviously this ring must beplacedin position before the handle is secured to the head 13 and whenso secured the ring 1G will be compressed so as to bear firmly upon thesurface of the head 13. rlhis inserted member 16 will serve as a friction producing device between the head and the handle. If. cork is usedthe swelling of the cork when wet will increase the friction to a verydesirable and satisfactory extent.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2 the handle and head are retained separatedby the ring 16. The separation is however in these figures exaggerated.I may compress the part until they are actually in bearing one with theother as shown in Figure 3. The thickness of the ring 1G. and depth ofthe recess into which this ring is to be received may be varied at will.In Figure 3 I indicate at 17 a thin ring or rubber of linoleum or otherfrietional material.

Most rotatable head brushes have definite stopping points. I may alsoobtain such stopping points by providing a plurality of shallow recesses13, 19, 20, and 21 in the head of the brush as shown at 22 in Figure 5,and may also provide in the handle 23 inserts of cork or other suitablematerial as shown at 24, 25, 26 and 27. each of which is adapted toengage into a recess in the head.

Obviously l ma provide one or more frictional inserts an one or morerecesses. l may insert the ring 16 or 17 or the insert blocks 24k-27into the head instead of into the handle. l may make the pin 12 with' atapered head. l may change the shape or outline of any or all of theparts and employ the part of one construction shown With another andmake other modifications Within the scope o1 the appended claims Withoutdeparting troni the principle or sacrificing the advantages of thisinvention.

Having carefully and iully described my invention what I elaiin anddesire to secure by Letters Fatent is:

1. A toothbrush having a relatively rotatable head and handle one ofwhich is provided With a groove, a pivot pin for retaining said head andhandle a fixed distance from each other and a non-metallic member insaid groove and in frictional engagement with said head and handle.

2. A tooth brush having a relatively rotatable head and handle7 a pin'for retaining said head and said handle in operative relation7 saidhandle being provided With an annular' groove surrounding said pin and anon-metallic member arranged in said groove and in frictional engagementwith said head.

Signed at New York cit in the county of New York, and State ot New Yorkthis 27 day of Dec., 1921.

ALEXANDER SAXE.

